I didn’t think we would find ourselves in this disastrous state so soon after my post yesterday. I felt in my spirit that there was more to come and not for good… And then woke up to another morning of grim and grave headlines. Five people killed. This time they were transit police – there to keep a peaceful protest peaceful. Random individuals picked off without thought to who they were. We don’t need to discuss whether they were good people or bad people, kind people or mean people, they were people, period. This morning, I wept for them and all the other senseless killings that happen in this country and across the world. And paraphrasing President Obama who stated it so clearly, there is no contradiction in supporting efforts to stop police violence against minority communities and standing solidly with law enforcement who put themselves in harm’s way to protect us. I repeat, there is no contradiction. I don’t think there is ever an issue with seeking justice and speaking out against injustice. This is not an either/or situation. It does not diminish the gravity of what has been happening to communities of color. It punctuates our deep need to come together as a nation. Demonizing any group of people because of their race/ethnicity, because they wear a uniform, because they pray differently, because they think differently gets us nowhere which is where we find ourselves today. But in times like these I have to rely on faith that God has everything under control. God’s justice has, does and will prevail but it may be beyond our comprehension to understand it – it cannot be put in human terms. The question for us is, “What can WE do?” that falls in line with God’s will for us on this earthly journey.

So I go back to the roots of this blog when I named it. WE MUST BE THE CHANGE.  I modified and abbreviated Mahatma Gandhi’s famous quotation, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” So if we want to spread God’s love, we must love others as God loves us, with compassion and mercy, with steadfastness and faithfulness, without end, without judgment, and without regard to our pasts. If we want to see justice, we must be just in all our actions, in our treatment and interactions with family, friends, loved ones, strangers, those like us and those unlike us. Oppressing others, lying, cheating, killing, stealing, racism, homophobia, vigilantism, sexism, xenophobia, egocentrism, to name just a few, do not fall in line with anything remotely considered just. If we want unity, we must seek understanding, which might mean not just listening but truly hearing. We must stop fearing that which we do not know or understand. We must expand not contract our interactions with others and the world. With depth of knowing and understanding comes enlightenment. Let’s shine some light on this dark place we find ourselves in today. Let’s not spend any more time on the road headed for disaster. Peace.